1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to overhead garage doors and, more specifically, to a shade to partially cover a garage door opening and provide a pet exit deterrent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Screens and shades used in conjunction with garage door openings are not new in the art. Some shades include a device that extends outward from the garage and is supported by legs wherein a portion of the driveway is shaded as well as the interior of the garage. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,497,998; 4,301,851; 5,996,666. Others employ a full screen door used to cover the entire garage door opening. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,044,540; 3,126,944. Into some garage doors are incorporated screen panels. And, finally, some employ screened sections reflective of the panel size of the garage door and which use track and ball mechanics to effect slidably raising and lowering the screen panel relative to the garage door. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,653,566; 5,611,382; 6,557,614 (B1).
Related art screens are often specifically sized to the garage door sections so they lack flexibility and provide only one dimension of screened or shaded area. Often the purpose of related art is to provide screens but not shade, however, in addition to improving air circulation there is often a need to block the majority of sunlight. Finally, the association of the screen or shade with the door and the garage floor in related art is often more complex than necessary and not sufficient to deter a child's or a pet's exit and, therefore, cannot be used when a child or a pet is present in the garage.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a shade that may be of any or of a variety of lengths;
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a shade that is secured in a manner such that children and most kinds of pets are secured in the garage;
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a shade that is flexible and light;
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a shade that is simple to retract and extend and simple to mount;
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a shade that minimizes visibility into the garage from the outside; and
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a versatile shade for a door-to-floor shade or a partial shade near the top of the open door.